The highly anticipated and controversial post-apocalyptic open world MMO The Day Before has once again been accused of copying other games, this time including Cyberpunk 2077, Grand Theft Auto 5, and Red Dead Redemption 2.
YouTube user Randomly uploaded a video comparing The Day Before’s Official Gameplay Overview and Release Date Trailer (released just yesterday, November 1, 2023) with the official gameplay trailers for the aforementioned open-world games.
While the visuals of the trailer aren’t the subject of the comparisons — unlike previous copycat accusations that saw The Day Before compared to The Last of Us, The Division, and Call of Duty — the voiceover bears resemblance to that of the other trailers, sometimes featuring the same phrases word for word.
For example, The Day Before trailer, above, uses the phrase: “Welcome to the next generation of post-apocalyptic MMO open-world survival games like never before. Immerse yourself in A Day Before.” Cyberpunk 2077’s Official Gameplay Trailer, published November 19, 2020, uses the phrase: “Welcome to the next-generation of open-world adventure. Immerse yourself in Cyberpunk 2077.”
Red Dead Redemption 2’s Official Gameplay Video, published August 9, 2018, uses the phrase: “…to make combat deep and engaging at all times. Each weapon has unique characteristics, with realistic reload and recoil.”
The Day Before’s latest trailer uses: “…to ensure that combat remains deep and engaging at all times. Each weapon boasts unique characteristics, as well as realistic reload and recoil mechanics.”
IGN has contacted The Day Before developer Fntastic and Grand Theft Auto 5 and Red Dead Redemption 2 developer Rockstar Games for comment. Cyberpunk 2077 developer CD Projekt Red declined to comment.
As mentioned, this isn’t the first time The Day Before has been accused of copying other games. Certain scenes in a gameplay trailer released February 2, 2023 looked familiar to some fans, and Reddit user PatFury lined up its opening shots with a Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War trailer from September 30, 2020.
Starting at around 38 seconds in, the Call of Duty trailer has a shot looking down at people through bars, followed by a hooded soldier illuminated in red light, then a first-person shot of someone walking through a dark room with another person in front of them, and then another shot of a soldier in red light.
The opening few seconds of The Day Before trailer has a shot looking down at people through bars, followed by an armed person illuminated in red light, then a first-person shot of someone walking through a dark room with another person in front of them, then another shot of someone in red light. The video then moves into other shots akin to what Fntastic has shown before and then quickly into brand new gameplay.
PatFury’s comparison also highlights comparable features between The Day Before and other games, which are highlighted in the slideshow above. These include its font’s similarities to The Last of Us’, a screenshot similar to The Division, and more. Following these accusations, which were picked up by various media outlets and YouTube channels, Fntastic released a statement on X/Twitter about the dangers of disinformation.
“We all live in a time of disinformation and lack of fact-checking,” it said. “Anyone can say anything for views, and everyone will believe it. Disinformation needs to be dealt with as it can harm not only us but also other indies and small/medium studios. It also has a mental impact on the members of such teams.”
The Day Before has otherwise been wrought with controversy over its development period, with some even calling the game a scam amid its multiple delays, use of unpaid workers, miscommunication, and more.
The latest trailer came with the announcement that The Day Before had been delayed for a third time to December 7, 2023, but only an Early Access version would be available on that date. This was the first mention of it only launching in Early Access and not on consoles at the same time (and after a promise of no more delays).
You can read about the entire strange saga of The Day Before here.
Ryan Dinsdale is an IGN freelance reporter. He’ll talk about The Witcher all day.
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